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It never fails to crack me up when people bash Dana White for the way he runs UFC. As much as I love Fedor, and as much as I'd love to see him in UFC, if he never fights there the UFC won't miss a beat, and most people still won't have a clue who Fedor is.
I don't know the PPV numbers, but I have read a few places that the gate at the Affliction show was heavily papered to boost attendance. As much as I appreciate the cards that Affliction attempts to put on, it wouldn't surprise me if they never have another show, or if they go bankrupt soon after their next one. Then Fedor would have to wait for the next deep pockets idiot that tries to slap together an MMA promotion to compete with the UFC to get another huge payday in the US.
Of course he can always fight overseas, but if he ever wants to truly be recognized by the casual US fans he will have to fight in the UFC. And Dana White will not bend over and grab his ankles like most new MMA promotions will to have him fight there. Fedor can still make a lot of money in the UFC, but he will have to do it on Dana White's terms.
In the end, the UFC is THE promotion, and they have proven that they can run a multimillion dollar business with nothing more than a bunch of guys from a reality show. I bet if the top 10 fighters in the UFC jumped ship tomorrow for a new promotion bankrolled by some crazy billionaire, the UFC wouldn't miss a beat and would still outsell that promotion in live gates and PPV. It may suck, but they have built a brand name, and the fighters need the UFC way more than the UFC needs them...
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